Riding the first four-game win streak they’ve collected since January 2023, the New Jersey Devils visited the Toronto Maple Leafs, hoping to make it five in a row. The last time they did that was 1,009 days ago.
A lot of the conversation around the Devils this season has been about the maturation of the once young, naive group. After taking down both teams in the 2025 Stanley Cup Final, Sheldon Keefe and Co. fly into hockey’s mecca, seeking Keefe’s first win in his old barn with his new team.
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Thanks to Jack Hughes’ hat-trick, Keefe would convert.
Let’s get into the Devils’ 5-2 victory in Toronto.
First Period
The Devils got off to a strong start, controlling the pace of play and accruing a handful of scoring chances, namely from the second line. Following a strong shift by Timo Meier, Nico Hischier, and Dawson Mercer, the first line hopped over the boards and continued to apply the pressure.
Jack Hughes nearly opened the scoring inside the first five minutes, ringing the iron behind Maple Leafs goaltender, Anthony Stolarz.
Toronto then recovered the puck, entered New Jersey’s zone successfully, and John Tavares cleaned up a rebound created by Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and the Devils trailed 1-0 at 06:36 of the first period.
Dawson Mercer took a slashing penalty at the 16:28 mark, and the 19/20 Devils penalty kill (PK) went back to work. The strong PK unit successfully converted on another kill, and even accrued a handful of scoring chances while short a man on the ice.
Ondrej Palat went missing from the Devils’ first line, and Paul Cotter assumed the duties next to Jack and Jesper Bratt.
The first period ended with the Devils trailing 1-0, despite outshooting Toronto 10-7.
Second Period
The Devils opened the second period continuing to apply offensive pressure.
Palat returned in the middle frame, and the Jack line gained offensive possession. Fighting for net-front presence, Palat screened Stolarz which allowed Jack to tie the game at one, netting his fourth goal of the season.
The Maple Leafs challenged the Jack goal for goalie interference, and lost the decision. Thus, the Devils went to the power play, and Cody Glass—skating on the second power play unit—cleaned up a rebound created by Timo Meier from the right circle to give New Jersey a 2-1 lead.
The offense continued when the Devils recovered the puck in their own zone and Arseny Gritsyuk led an odd-man rush toward Toronto’s end. He left the puck for Luke Glendeing, who then found Brenden Dillon in the Maple Leafs slot, and the Devils’ defenseman scored to make it a 3-1 game.
The multi-goal lead was short-lived, however. Simon Nemec pinched too high at the Devils’ blueline, allowing an odd-man rush in the defensive zone. William Nylancer connected with Mattias Maccielli, who brought the Leafs back within one, 3-2.
Despite the Leafs goal, New Jersey remained relentless, and peppered Stolarz in the Toronto end of the ice. The Maple Leafs goaltender, however, made several strong saves.
Yet, Stolarz couldn’t contain Jack Hughes, who found a loose puck at the Maple Leafs blueline, and he netted his second goal to widen the gap at 4-2 Devils.
Jack’s 27th multi-goal game sees him pass Stephane Richer & Claude Lemieux, for the fifth-most in franchise history. Now, only John MacLean (62), Patrik Elias (52), Wilf Paiement (28), Kirk Muller (28) stand ahead of him.
The Devils carried a two-goal lead into the second intermission after they outshot the Maple Leafs 16-10 in the middle frame.
Third Period
The third period didn’t bring much on the scoresheet, but the Devils certainly dominated the puck to clamp down their fifth win in a row. Toronto couldn’t overcome the Devils speed and forecheck, mustering up just three shots in the final 20 minutes.
It was another dominant display by the Devils in the third period, who showed a mature approach to defend their lead by simply sticking to their structure and keeping the puck in the offensive zone.
The Maple Leafs pulled Stolarz at the end of the third period for the extra attacker. However, Jack registered his third career hat-trick, and his fifth goal of the season to seal a 5-2 victory.
The Devils penalty kill was a part 2/2 gain on Tuesday, and have killed 18 straight penalties.
Jake Allen made 23 saves on 25 shots. Jesper Bratt registered three assists on all of Jack’s goals.
Keefe earned his first coaching win against the Maple Leafs in Toronto.
